Paleontologists unearthed the nearly complete skull of a 30-million-year-old apex predator in Egypt. The findings were recently published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
The fossil, named Bastetodon syrtos, was discovered during excavations in the Fayum Depression by a team led by paleontologist Shorouq Al-Ashqar from Mansoura University and the American University in Cairo. The Fayum region, now a desert, was once a lush forest teeming with diverse wildlife.
"Just when we were about to finish our work, one of the team members noticed something remarkable—a row of large teeth sticking out of the ground. His excited shout united the team, marking the beginning of an extraordinary discovery: a nearly complete skull of an ancient higher predator, a dream of any vertebrate paleontologist," said co-author Shorouq Al-Ashqar.
The research team, known as Sallam Lab, named the specimen Bastetodon in honor of the ancient Egyptian goddess Bastet, who symbolizes protection, pleasure, and good health. The name also alludes to the short muzzle and cat-like teeth of this ancient carnivore, with "odon" meaning "tooth."
Bastetodon was a predator the size of a modern leopard, equipped with powerful jaws, sharp teeth, and strong muscles. The skull reveals that Bastetodon had blade-like sharp teeth and powerful muscles, suggesting it had a very powerful bite.
The creature belonged to an extinct group of carnivorous mammals known as hyainodonts, which evolved long before modern carnivorous animals. Although their teeth were similar to those of a hyena, hyainodonts were a distinct group. Hyainodonts hunted in African ecosystems and dominated after the extinction of the dinosaurs.
About 30 million years ago, the current desert region of Fayum in Egypt was covered with dense forests, where primitive hippopotamuses, elephants, and mammal species coexisted. Researchers indicate that Bastetodon probably hunted large prey, including primates, the first hippos, early elephants, and hyraxes in the lush Fayum forest. Bastetodon was the top predator of its time, instilling terror among other animals, including our distant ancestors.
The discovery of Bastetodon has prompted a reevaluation of a group of lion-sized hyainodonts found in the Fayum rocks over 120 years ago. The researchers classified this reevaluated species into a new genus called Sekhmetops, named after the warrior lion-headed goddess Sekhmet.
As ecosystems and prey changed, specialized carnivorous hyainodonts decreased in diversity until they became extinct. Researchers note that finds in El-Fayoum continue to expand knowledge about the ancient fauna that existed in Africa during the Eocene and Oligocene.
The skull of Bastetodon retains a reduced dental formula compared to other hyainodonts of the region, such as Akhnatenavus, suggesting a diet specialized in meat.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.